When life gives you lemons...

This week has been so hectic and therefore I apologise for the last minute blog post but hopefully it shall be a bit of a change from the usual.

So Ti, what have you been up to that has consumed so much time? I'll answer that one: revision, revision and guess what, more revision! Over the last few weeks I've spent most of my time after school with my French teacher, trying to pass a bloody speaking exam. The actual exam wasn't until Wednesday at 12 pm and to be perfectly honest with you, I spent all day worrying about it haha. Once I started going it wasn't too bad though, and sir was hopeful I wouldn't have to resit. We got our new timetables for school on Monday which marks the start of year 10 work, whoop, whoop! On Friday (while you are reading this) I'm going to Robin Hoods Bay as part of my geography coursework. After we've finished our work (honk if you love bin counts and environmental surveys as much as me haha) we are allowed to do what we please. I was determined to download Pokemon Go and see if we could find any Pokemon around the beach but unfortunately you need IOS 8 or later. I'm sure other people will have theirs though haha. I have nothing planned for this weekend but I know that my brother and one of my sisters are coming home for the weekend. We break up for summer next Friday which I cannot wait for! It means I have so much more time to do fabulous things like writing.

Wishing you all health and happiness,

Marti xxx

Little Giveaway + Celebrating Books

I love getting to know you lot better. 

Honestly, however cheesy it sounds, I have met so many incredible people through this little space on the internet (and hopefully many, many more to come) that giving something back to you guys just seems compulsory. That's why I've decided that another giveaway is overdue. It's going to be very different to my January Giveaway though because of the way both my readers and I have changed. Firstly I must mention that I didn't specifically go out and buy the 'prize' that I am giving away. It's the original paper back version of 'Dizzy' by Cathy Cassidy and was the first teen fiction book I ever read. Cathy Cassidy, along with Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo ect, inspired me to start reading and pick up book after book after book. The words on each page have been brought to life so many times that I would apologise that it's not in perfect condition, but why should I? Books are supposed to be read, not cased in glass cabinets. Unless that is, you have a very unique way of storing you books haha!

It seems like these days nobody reads anymore. So few people can recall the satisfaction of picking up a book and getting lots among all the words and feeling like you are part of the story. If this generation won't read- what hope do we have for future generations with rapidly improving technology? If this book is not for you, consider a sibling/friend or younger family member that could be interested. Reading is for everyone, and is honestly something that sticks with you for a while. 

The way you enter is also going to be rather different and hopefully more straight forward than last time. All you need to do is drop a comment telling me why you read (don't fret none Google+ users, just pop me an email instead) :) The giveaway is open internationally and will be picked from a hat at a later date. You will receive your book with a handwritten note through the post which is why I must ensure that you are comfortable directly messaging me your address should your name be chosen.

On the topic of reading and celebrating books, I was in the library yesterday and decided to do something I've been meaning to do for months. I read a blog post a while back (I think it could have been written by El) about random acts of kindness and one of the things she suggested was to leave little notes in library books. I thought this was such a thoughtful idea and if it actually gets to the reader (what I mean by this is, if it doesn't get dismissed as rubbish) it would make their day. I decided to leave it in a copy of  An Abundance of Cathrines by John Green becuase it's a book that I'd really like to read but I've got so many other books to read before then. Hopefully the reader will enjoy the note almost as much as the book!

Good luck!
Wishing you all health and happiness,
Marti xx

Zoella Body Mist Review

Hi everyone, some of you may not know me, so let me introduce myself. I'm Lou from Lou Loves and I have been blogging for nearly a year now. Marti and I made the decision to do a guest post on each others blogs as we thought it would be a fun idea and help let both audiences get to know about us better. Anyway, today I am going to be doing a review which is a favourite over on my blog so I thought I would do one for you all.  I hope you enjoy this post and I will (hopefully) see you soon. xx

Today, I am going to be reviewing the Zoella Beauty Body Spritz's. I have all 3 and love when new collections come out. The bottles themselves, are okay quality but the scent inside makes up for it. On 2 out of 3 of my bottles, the product leaks out the top when you press it down which cane be a little annoying but it's not too big of an issue.

Blissful Mistful is the original collection scent so it is floral and really fresh. For me, it's the perfect Spring/Summer scent (it would also be a pretty good holiday scent - which it was for me last year). The scent lasts nearly all day without completely going but I find it's nice just to top up the scent about half way through the day.

The next to be released was Lets Spritz'. This was in the Tutti Fruity Range which is getting discontinued right now and shops are selling it out so get it whilst you can. As the range name suggests, it has a fruity scent that I think works best in late summer and early autumn - kind of like the last breath of summer.

The final spritz was Sweet Inspirations (I was really disappointed this didn't have a product name :( ) However, the scent makes up for it - it has a macaroon and toasted almond scent. I think this is that perfect all year scent which can actually be really hard to find.

All of Zoe's spritz's are £8 and available at superdrug and online at feelunique and superdrug.

Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to check out Marti's post

Love Lou

xx

http://louloves01.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/guest-post-random-acts-of-kindness.html

From notes to post

Bonjour mes petits chéris!

This is a post that Lou and I have had scheduled for the longest time ever (literally months) but have never gotten around to posting. Over here in the UK it's half term which I assumed would mean a week of blogging and taking photos. Oh how wrong I was! I've been busy every single day this week whether it be travelling, simply meeting my friends or doing homework. The post is basically going to be a breakdown of the process of writing a blog post. I've always wondered how other bloggers went about posting and whether they do it any differently from me. Over the year I have spent blogging, I've developed my own way of drafting my posts which works perfectly for me. I'd love to hear about you!

1. The Idea

Ideas come to me at times I least expect. I could be in the shower, in that weird state of mind before you drift off to sleep, daydreaming in a maths lesson or reading. I recommend always keeping a notebook in your bag for such occasion but when I forget, that's when the memo notes on your phone come in handy. When I get home, I'll create a blog post with that title and save it as a draft. Make sure not to publish said post like I have done one too many times!

2.Drafting the Post

The next stage of writing my post is drafting. This basically means word vomit. Any initial ideas, photos or layout preferences you have, make sure you post them at this point. You do not have to draft the post immediately after coming up with the idea (some of my ideas date back to last year and I still haven't got round to drafting them!). Also I like to choose which labels to add at this point. For example, the post I have drafted here (which is a sneak peek at next Friday's post!) is a lifestyle post. The labels I have added here are home, life and places.

3.Taking the Time to Write it

Stage three is very much like stage two only you should allocate however much time you need to write the post here. I usually spend about an hour on this stage (depending on what type of post it is) but you may need either less or more time. Write straight from what comes to your mind as you can always tweak it later. Another point to add about this stage is that you should only write when you are in the mood and never try to force a post. 

6.Proofreading and Spell Checking

Before I hit the orange publish button I always (well, I always intend to) proofread my post and get somebody else to check my spelling. You can also reword parts that seem clumsy and ensure all your links are fully working at this stage.

7.Publishing

Finally, it's time to publish or decide when you schedule your post. This part is definitely the most self explanatory but in case you you haven't realised already, it's that giant circle there.

Hope you're as excited to read Lou's post as I am.
http://louloves01.blogspot.co.uk/

Dressing fit for Friday

Picture this. It's Friday morning, you overslept and have little less than half an hour to have breakfast, feed the cat, do something with your hair, brush your teeth and get out of that front door. Sound familiar?

So where does fashion come in to any of this? It's that reoccurring dream where you turn up at work in your pajamas, underwear or worst of all, crocs! Sometimes I actually consider crawling back into bed and living in my pajamas all week as the thought of  turning my wardrobe upside own for something to wear haunts me. 

So when T.M.Lewin contacted me asking to take part in their his & hers style challenge I jumped at the opportunity. It's all about dressing fit for Friday and styling outfits that can go from work presentations to the pub. Having a translatable style can help you stay as chic and classy as you are all day long. T.M.Lewin host the most lavish variety of classic pieces, fabrics, to accessories that are fashionably interchangeable as well as an impressive selection of suits.

So, considering the vast majority of my page views come from a female audience, I have decided to begin with the woman's outfit. I wanted to create something that was universal and would compliment any skin tone, size and figure. I also wanted it to be very feminine yet not something that would become hard to maintain or touch up later in the day. I have included both flat shoes and heeled depending on your place of work and how much you are on your feet. I also think the necklace would spice the outfit up for a night out perfectly.

T.M.Lewin Fitted White Piqué Shirt

T.M.Lewin Albany Black Tri-Acetate Skirt

New Look Black Knotted Front Ankle Strap Pumps or

 New Look Black 'Wiggle' Court Shoes

House of Fraser Izzy Flower Statement Necklace

And now moving on the more male dominated outfit, I have selected one of T.M.Lewin's trademark suits to accompany sleek, black shoes. Being able to dress well and have your own style will put you far ahead of other colleagues on the employment side of things. I also think that navy is a very slimming and alluring colour for workwear.

T.M.Lewin Jackman Suit Jacket

T.M.Lewin Jackman Navy Skinny Suit Trousers

T.M.Lewin White Twill Double Cuff Fitted Shirt

T.M.Lewin Navy Skinny Silk Tie

Samuel Windsor Classic Oxford Shoe - Black

Have a wedding or formal meeting planned and have no idea what to wear? Look no further than T.M.Lewin for fabulous value yet astonishing quality suit bundles that can suit any occasion.

http://www.tmlewin.co.uk/